Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--With more than 160 Mississippi State University employees living and working in the areas most severely affected by Hurricane Katrina, the university's Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council is launching a drive to provide financial help.
"Our understanding is that many employees have suffered extensive damage to their homes, and approximately 30 have homes that either are destroyed or are uninhabitable," said Juli Rester, the organization's president. "Employees on the coast are part of our MSU family and we want to reach out and let them know we care."
Rester, a human resources development staff member, said most affected employees have expressed a need for limited financial assistance to help bridge immediate needs as they begin to restock their households.
To ensure a timely response, she said the application deadline will be Sept. 30, with available funds disbursed by Oct. 5.
Received through the MSU Foundation, gifts for the MSU Employee Relief Fund will support short-term emergency assistance. Recipients will be selected by an anonymous committee.
Eligible individuals must live or work within six hardest-hit counties: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, and George. Others will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Qualifying coast-area employees may apply online at http://www.pssac.msstate.edu/. Paper forms may be obtained at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi and, when completed, faxed to (662) 325-3189.
For more information, telephone Rester at (662) 325-1831.